When you tell your friends who know nothing about cycling, they will be incredulous, but you can say: there are lots of good reasons to cycle at night. Whether out of obligation or pleasure (or both!), all experienced cyclists have already, several times for some, regularly for others, ridden between sunset and sunrise…

solo night ride urban cycling

When everyone is at home, some go cycling – photos from Instagram account dan_de_rosilles

When we cycle all year round, and in winter it gets dark before 8:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m., night cycling becomes commonplace.

In summer, after a party in the countryside with friends, it is a real pleasure to come home under the full moon, accompanied by the chirping of crickets if it is late, the song of nightingales if it is very early…

We Also think of long-distance cyclists , who rack up kilometers and hours in the saddle, without really worrying about whether it’s time to bring in the animals or to be wary of the wolf.

night ride fixed gear cycling group

But, as far as possible, night cycling cannot be improvised and requires special equipment and certain reflexes aimed at ensuring our safety. This little practical guide therefore invites you to take stock of the equipment made available to you by manufacturers to make you more visible at night, but also to give you some advice which will allow you to experience your nocturnal outings with even more pleasure.

According to the Highway Code, to be able to travel at night, every bicycle must be equipped with front and rear position lights and rear and side reflectors .

In addition, the cyclist must wear a “CE” approved high visibility vest when traveling outside urban areas. Without this equipment, the cyclist is liable to a 1st class fine, i.e. a fixed fine of €17, which can reach €38 after an increase.

A visible cyclist is a living cyclist – photo Anne Fontanesi

In fact, intensive cyclists rarely apply the law to the letter. But they are fully aware of the danger that cars represent, both day and night, and manufacturers are constantly thinking about products that can bridge the gap between visibility and good taste. We must therefore strive to put all possible visibility on our side, from all sides! If you take the time to look, there is no shortage of equipment options, and, to take the example of the vest again, there will inevitably be something that suits you from an aesthetic point of view and meets the prerequisites. in terms of safety and visibility when driving at night.

For those who would like to obtain detailed information on the legislation concerning night-time bicycle circulation, I refer you to  this excellent file , regularly updated, made available to all by the French Federation of Bicycle Users.

French Federation of Bicycle Users FUB bike cycling

Night cyclist clothing is not necessarily different from daytime clothing. Brands are increasingly offering completely functional and fitting clothing that offers good (and beautiful) nighttime visibility. For the bottom, we should consider cycling shorts and pants equipped with generous reflective areas on the back of the legs, or failing that on socks and shoes. There are also ankle cuffs that can help when wearing dress pants.

At the bottom, we will choose clothes with reflective areas on the legs – photo Anne Fontanesi

At the top, we will of course favor the reflective parts on the back and kidneys, without forgetting the ends of the arms, gloves or mittens which are very useful visually when indicating your direction. For your information, yellow clothing, very effective in low light and foggy days, is not particularly more visible at night than dark-colored clothing when it is equipped with high quality reflective zones, ideally located on the parts of the body that are in motion.

reflex cycling apparel cycling women

More than the color of the clothing, reflective zones are essential for the visibility of the cyclist – photo Dan de Rosilles

Finally, the head is a strategic area because it dominates the entire silhouette. We will therefore favor helmets, caps or hats with reflective patterns. For urban travel, there are now helmets with integrated lighting  ; If necessary, you can also occasionally equip a sports helmet with a rear lamp holder .

Assos Of Switzerland bib tight cycling apparel by night

The area located at the bottom of the back is strategic to make the cyclist visible at night – photo Anne Fontanesi

And there was light: battery lamps

Today there is a wide choice of front and rear lights powered by batteries or, better yet, by a rechargeable battery via a USB socket. There are all power levels, for all budgets, from the inexpensive mini button lamp to huge MTB torches with external batteries, including lamps with interchangeable batteries , whose removable battery also allows you to recharge your smartphone.